Marinated Pheasant With Cranberry Chestnut Yam Cake And Port Jus Food

TENDER PHEASANTS

Steps:

• Place the pheasants into a large slow cooker. Wrap and drape the bacon over the birds, covering the pheasants as much as you can. Whisk the condensed soup, sour cream, water, chopped onion, onion soup mix, and mushrooms together in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over the pheasants.
• Cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours, or on High for 5 to 7 hours.

BOURBON-MARINATED PORK ROAST WITH COUNTRY HAM JUS

Steps:

• To marinate the pork roast, combine maple syrup, molasses, bourbon, chili sauce, and chili paste in a shallow dish and mix well. Brush the roast all over with the marinade and refrigerate it 8 hours or longer.
• Preheat 1 side of a grill to high heat.
• To cook, sear the roast all over on a hot grill. Once it browns, move the meat to a cooler spot. Lower the heat and continue to cook, covered, at a lower temperature, until it is done, about 11/2 to 2 hours, depending on its size -- the meat should register 150 to 155 degrees F in its thickest part.
• To serve, reheat the Country Ham Jus and divide it among serving plates. Place pork on plates and add a generous spoonful of Pawpaw Relish.
• For the country ham jus, combine the ham bones, 4 cups water, onion, celery, carrot, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper in a large stockpot. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours, or until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Strain out the solids. Combine with demi-glace in pot and cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Add salt, to taste. Refrigerate.
• Mix all the ingredients together.

PHEASANT WITH CRANBERRY HONEY

Steps:

• Render bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pheasant parts and sear on all sides, then add red wine and onions. Sprinkle cracked pepper, bay leaves, tarragon, salt and mint over pheasant parts. Reduce heat to low and cover pot. Cook until tender and juices run clear (no longer pink), about 25 minutes. Remove pheasant carefully to a utility platter, cover and set aside to keep warm. Transfer liquids from pot to a heat resistant glass container (such as a 2 or 3 cup measuring vessel) and allow the layer of fat to rise to the top. Spoon or pour off most of the fat and return the rest of the juices, herbs, bacon and onions to the pot over medium heat. Add cranberries to the sauce and cook until the berries pop to make a rustic sauce. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves, and whisk in honey and sour cream.
• Arrange pheasant on serving dish, spoon sauce over, and garnish with mint.

CARAMELIZED SHALLOT JUS

Steps:

• Heat oil to smoking in a thick-bottomed 2-quart saucepan, add the shallots and the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and caramelize the shallots. When the shallots are nicely browned add the port and brandy. Reduce the liquid until syrupy. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce and thicken until the sauce naps (coats) the back of a spoon.

PHEASANT WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Sprinkle cavity of pheasant with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Place pheasant on a rack in shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with butter; sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 325° for 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 40-60 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 180°, basting with pan juices frequently., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until the berries begin to pop, stirring frequently. Stir in the orange zest. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Cover pheasant with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before carving. Serve sauce with pheasant.

ROAST PHEASANT

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Stir the chopped rosemary and thyme into the olive oil and set aside. Rub the pheasant inside and out with salt and pepper. Place into a close-fitting roasting pan. Pour the herb oil over top.
• Bake the pheasant in the preheated oven for 1 hour, then cover with aluminum foil, and continue baking an additional hour, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone reads 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing. Baste the pheasant with the hot oil and juices from the pan every 30 minutes while cooking.

PLEASANT PHEASANT

Steps:

• Marinate the pheasant breasts over night (or for as long as possible) in your favorite marinade, or mix together the soy sauce, garlic, onion, honey and vinegar for a yummy asian-inspired marinade.
• Remove pheasants from marinade, and coat in flour. We do not rinse off marinade, or allow to drip off, so that the flour makes a nice coating on the pheasant.
• Heat a frying pan with butter, and place coated pheasant in pan.
• Allow to brown on each side, then add 1/4 cup of chicken broth, or enough to create some liquid on the bottom. Add cilantro.
• Cover and allow pheasant to cook for 4-6 minutes per side, until cooked through. Don't let all the chicken broth cook off, or it could burn. Add more if necessary.
• Once done, take pheasant out of pan, and add chicken broth, a little at a time, scraping the bottom of the pan to create a gravy.
• Serve with rice, or noodles.
• Variations:
• instead of chicken broth, use chicken noodle soup and some water! Or,
• use your favorite marinate. Or,
• after browning, and adding liquid (or soup with some water), put it in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes - then proceed as directed.